The Kind of Preaching the World Needs

Happy Sunday, everyone! Before I begin the post, I wanted to ask what y'all think on the tweaking I'm doing on the blog. I've changed the header, cleaned the sidebar up, added a new photo and I may change the background as well because I feel like it clashes. I want a new look before this Winter hits. I still have quite a few things to work on so I hope to have everything finished by tonight.

This morning's sermon was titled "The Preaching We Need Today" and we studied mostly in 1 Corinthians 1:21. I took some fairly in-depth notes so I'm going to be basing this post almost completely on them and adding a few different things here and there.

What Kind of Preaching Do We Need to Hear Today? 

The church needs a revival with Bible teaching, but before that happens, we must become less focused on events, parties, concerts, and more concerned with preaching the gospel and seeing lost souls become saved. Most people don't realize that preaching is not just a job for the preachers out there! If you are saved, you are called to preach the gospel and share God's word. The world wants us to preach with tolerance - they want us to be politically correct, but we are not called to be wise in the World's eyes, we are called to follow God's commands.

"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

1 Corinthians 1:21

What We Need: 

1. We Need Preaching on the True Gospel. We need to stir up the world and stop trying to blend in! Don't be ashamed and don't be afraid to be hated by this world. There is only one gospel and it is the only thing that can save you. The Lord says to beware of false prophets and they are out there. Remember the true gospel and preach it - don't try to live by the world's standards and change the gospel according to what they want!
2. We Need Bible Preaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2) Don't just preach about salvation and end it there. Talk about the Bible, teach others about the Bible and study all of the Bible so you and others learn not only how to receive salvation but how to live and survive as a Christian and how to become a better witness! All of the Bible should be used to our advantage! It's about the Message!
3. We Need Preaching On Judgement! It's not a popular or loved topic, but it is one of the most important! We should warn others about what is ahead! What is the point of salvation if there is no judgement? My Pastor used this analogy  - if there was a terrible, rabid dog in your neighborhood and you saw your neighbors children out playing, about to be attacked, would you warn them? If you have a heart - of course you would! As Christian's, we believe that Hell exists. Hell is an eternity full of suffering, how could we live with ourselves as Christian's and not warn others? They don't need lovey dovey, mushy sermons to make them feel good about themselves - they need truth! Stop worrying about stepping on their toes. They are supposed to be convicted!
4. We Need Preaching That Demands a Decision! Stop worrying about embarrassing people with an alter call or about how you'll make the sinners out there feel when you demand a decision. It's never too early to get saved, but sometimes, it can be too late. You are never guaranteed tomorrow, and neither are the unsaved. Tell them the honest truth about their future in Hell. Tell them they must choose. There is no straddling the fence! 

The Rights of Atheists

My family finally got to watch the movie God's Not Dead a couple weeks ago after it came out on DVD. We all stayed up late with dimmed lights and cupcakes and I don't think any of us expected it to be that deep or good. We're big fans of Pure Flix, who created the movie, but most of the movies seem to be lacking something, I think. Maybe the actors aren't quite up to par or the story needs to be a bit more realistic or perhaps it just needs to be more serious, but this one was really, really great.

I've talked to a lot of Atheists. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I would rather debate with an Atheist than argue with a lukewarm Christian who has a hardened heart. I've debated with very many Atheists and the majority of them remained very calm and level-headed during our conversation. They've listened to what I have to say and tried to bring evidence of their own, but as Christian's, we know this - you can NOT win in an argument with God. Atheist's and other people in other religions do have what they like to call "facts" that they 100% believe in. They bring in good quotes from the most brilliant of minds, expecting us to look like fools when we say we disagree with a man like Stephen Hawking and the other many faithless scientists in the past and present. They bring in textbook after textbook, research papers, science experiments, all to prove that evolution or the Big Bang or whatever is real and that God is dead, but you know what all of those things have in common?

All of their evidence is fallible.

And it all started with....a Big Bang?

All of their so-called evidence is fallible because their text books are written by fallible humans, their science experiments tested and created by fallible humans, and so on. Even the most brilliant scientists in the world are fallible human beings. I guarantee you that if we were to ask a loved one or a close friend of one of those scientists that Atheist's so often put on a pedestal if they have any flaws, those friends or family would look at us funny and say something like, "Well, they are human beings!" because every human being is fallible. Every human being has flaws. Which means those textbooks and etc have flaws, too. They are written by humans who are so desperate to know more and more and gain knowledge that they aren't even supposed to have and if God doesn't want them to have it, He won't let them have it. In every theory outside of Christianity, there are holes.

There is also another theory, written by Stephen Hawking himself, a truly brilliant man with a very confused mindset on God and Creation. Stephen Hawking says, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing." so I ask Stephen Hawking, well, who created gravity? There are so many flaws in his theories despite him being one of the most intelligent men that this Earth will ever see. Just because a brilliant mind said it does not change the truth.

At the end of every debate, I am asked one question, the hardest of all questions. "Who created God?" it is difficult for a faithless person to understand the answer which boggles my mind, because when I ask them the same question about their faith, they get offended and flustered but then when they ask me, I suddenly have no right. Anyways, God was and is and is yet to come. God is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He was always here and He will always be here. No one created God. Yes, it is extremely hard to wrap your head around, but honestly, it seems easier to me to accept that than to accept the theory that particles or gravity were always here.

Many Atheist's ask us for proof for God and throw hissy-fits when they don't like our answer, but expect that they can do the same thing to us and get away with it. It seems that many Atheist's were once so-called believers in Christ that got their feelings hurt by the world. I find it funny when I hear Atheist's complain about God not being there when you can't expect God to be there whilst you are busy cursing His name and hating everything He stands for. And also, we must remember that God owes us absolutely nothing. You can't sit there and get upset with a God that you say doesn't even exist (how can you hate something or someone that doesn't exist?) because He's not there for you! God already gave us His son to die on the cross. Jesus endured the most painful death in all of human history just for us. Jesus wept just for us. Jesus was spat on, betrayed, bullied, harassed, tortured. Once a King in Heaven, He left His throne and traded it for dusty ground where He would sit after long hours of saving souls and healing people, not only in body but in spirit. He died for us and He didn't have to, and you still ask Him for more while you spit on His face? How dare you.

If I were to go find one of your favorite scientists or teachers, threaten that person with so many death threats, harass and bully them, try to kill them and then one day, succeed and murder them the cruelest way I possibly could, do you think that person would owe me anything?

God owes us absolutely nothing yet He already gave us everything.

If you can believe that nothing created everything, that gravity just somehow already existed, that space just was somehow here sitting around until suddenly, a Big Bang created the Earth (who created the Big Bang? Who created Gravity? Who created Space?) then attempt to shove this down my own throat at schools and online and etc, I have every right to show you my argument, my theories, my belief. So, here goes, my friends. Stay awake.

I won't quote all of Genesis 1 for you all because that would take up even more room in this already lengthy post. I'm sure we all know what happened. If you don't, here it is, free and online. Basically, it is my belief that the Lord literally spoke most of these things into existence. Now, the Bible does say that He made some of the things, which some people believe that He physically formed them, and I do believe that God did physically make some things on Earth with His own hands. Now, please know that I won't be getting into absolutely everything about Creation for the sake of time and the post, and the fact that there are still things that God left a mystery, but if you have any questions, you can comment or email me.

I believe that God always existed and will always exist. I believe that He gave us free will, and honestly, wouldn't we want our children to have free will as well, like God chose? Think of it this way - you have two friends, one of which you have to force into spending time with you. They are forced to love you, be with you, interact with you. And you have the other friend, who goes out of her way to be with you and love you and she truly does care from the bottom of her heart. Which is your most special, close friend? The forced one that wouldn't even pick you as a friend if she didn't have to, or the one who truly loves you? If you are a normal human-being and not a robot or a slave driver, I think I know your answer.

God wanted to give us free will and I completely understand that, and I believe I know the majority of His motives just by reading the Bible. He loves us and wishes that we would all come to Him and never suffer turmoil or Hell, but He waits for us to choose by ourselves on our own time. God has never and will never force Himself on anyone.

Here is a brief excerpt from  Living Waters:

"God gave man free will even if He knew it will cause problems through man's wrong use of it because He also knows the solution to it... Jesus. When God finished making this world on the sixth day, He looked on the whole of His creation and saw that it was all good, including the free will He gave man."

And let's look at something else, shall we? This was mentioned in the movie as well and I loved the point so much.

Without God, why are we moral?

What is wrong and what is right and why/where do we get these rules if not from God for His purposes? We ask God to get rid of the "big sins" when in reality, we wouldn't even want Him to get rid of sin completely. How many of you are or know addicts? People addicted to porn, drugs, alcohol? When Atheist's sit there and demand God's help if He exists, they also must realize that for God to deliver us from murder, thieves, rapists, for Him to deliver us from hard times, He must take away all of our pet sins, as well. God isn't causing any of our troubles - we are.

Atheist's seem to demand rights whilst they try to rid Christian's of our own rights to simply talk about our faith and God. As I end this post, I ask all of the Atheist's and other "faiths" who don't believe in Christ - what is your right to shove your own lack of belief down my throat everywhere in society? Where is your proof that God doesn't exist? I can sit here and give you all of the facts that I know and you scoff, yet you can't give me a better answer than my own.

What is your right to be so hypocritical? It is not your right to run this world, that's God's alone. And you won't win the fight as long as Christian's stand up and fight.

Dear Lost Friend,

Dear Lost Friend,

You have been deeply involved with this world and it's sinister ways all of your life. Sin and it's hold is all you've truly known and I understand how hard it is to give up the only life that you've lived. I understand that you have your doubts - why wouldn't you? After all, everyone has betrayed you at one time, everyone has let you down at one time, why would God be any different? You hesitate to believe in Him - or on Him - despite the fact that I can see how hard He's working on your heart.

I've talked to you, I've prayed for you, I've witnessed to you, and I'm sure I've said things that make you want to hate me and stop talking to me completely, but you haven't turned away from me quite yet.

You ask me why I always have hope. You ask me why I always have answers to solutions. And I don't really have an answer outside of God - He is the only reason I have hope for myself, my friends, my loved ones. He is my hope in the middle of a hopeless world. He paid my price and I owe Him a debt that I could never possibly repay. It seems like you are terrified to trust Him because you feel like He'll constantly be putting you down because you are a sinner. It terrifies you, the idea of being looked down upon by yet another person, but I wish you'd understand that God does not look over us and facepalm "tsking" at our actions. He simply loves us and puts us back on the right path. God judges fairly, though, and I wish you'd grasp the fact that Hell is the most real place that there is. It is not something to be taken lightly. It's not somewhere that you want to go when you die.

Hell is an eternity of pain and suffering like you wouldn't and couldn't believe, and God wants you to be saved from that more than anything, if you'd let Him.

I pray that one day, you'll understand how amazing it is to be loved by a King, to be royalty because your Father is the Creator of all. To be sheltered, protected and embraced by a Heavenly Lover. To be plucked from sins hands and brought into the safety of His arms. I pray that one day, I can call you my sister and that I can rest easy, knowing that my friend, my family member, won't spend a single day in Hell. That you've been forgiven and restored and get to experience true life outside of your depression, anxiety and life troubles.

I pray that one day, you understand why I take this Jesus thing so seriously and that you are saved before it's too late.

Until then, I'll spend hours on my knees, praying and hoping and never giving up. God won't give up on you, and neither will I.

 Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love and power.
I will arise and go to Jesus;
he will embrace me in his arms;
in the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Already in Love

A Beautiful Night Sky. {at our still nameless farm}

If you know anything about me, you should know that I'm a total hopeless romantic. The thing that excites me the most in life is getting married in the future and starting a family, Lord willing. I've prayed for my future spouse for years, even before I knew in my heart that being a wife is the job I most certainly want to take. I've made a vow to my future spouse and the Lord that I'll remain pure as I prepare for that in the future, when I do fall in love.

This may seem silly, but I actually got the idea for this post for the show on BBC, Call the Midwife. If you aren't familiar with the show, it follows the lives of midwives in the 1940's-1960's {I believe those are the correct dates, I'm only in season 2} and if you are squeamish, it may not be the show for you. {They don't show anything overly gory but it's a very heavy, sad show at times.} With that being said, one of my favorite characters is a former nun who left that life after feeling as though God was leading her elsewhere in her walk with Him and after she fell in love with a doctor. I didn't really think anything of it until I saw a tweet on the actor's Twitter {I won't say the actor so I don't spoil everything for those who haven't seen the show and plan to watch it.} in reply to someone asking how the former nun was prepared for love and marriage. The actor's answer was very sweet - she said that she was experienced in love because she was already in love. With whom? God. Now, I'm obviously not in that religion so I don't know much about nuns at all, nor do I necessarily agree with everything regarding nuns and their lifestyle, but I will say this - if we as Christian ladies had the love for our faith like some of them do, we would be much better off. Like I said, I'm not the most knowledgeable on their faith because I don't believe in it, although I suppose I should do more research just to have more of that in my brain when witnessing and etc, but I do know that nuns basically marry themselves to God and to the work that they believe God has told them to complete.

Can you imagine that?

Just think, these women literally refer to Christ as their spouse, it seems. Could we, as women, give up all of those things that we tend to dream about, for the Lord? Now, don't get me wrong - marriage is a a wonderful blessing from God, as are children. I firmly believe that the Lord loves seeing those things happen in a Christian home, but sometimes, it's not in His will. I'm sure we all know some women who are barren, some women who never married. Sometimes, He has different plans for unique people. Could we be willing to give Him the pen completely and marry ourselves to Him and truly let us fall in love with our Heavenly Lover?

I'll challenge you all and myself included - let's fall in love.

I don't mean with some earthly prince charming that we think is perfect or cute or whatever, I'm talking about the best Man we could ever imagine. More than a man! He's a King! I challenge us all to use this time of sacred singleness to fall in love with the Man who was willing to give His life for us, to love us forever, unconditionally! The most amazing Man in the world. We couldn't ask for a better Lover, so why do we try to fill His spot here on earth? If you are single like me, don't use this time to search high and low for a human man to settle down with. Let God take care of that. He's got your future in His hands and He knows what He's doing. I challenge us all to let ourselves get to know God and fall in love with Him. Let Him court you as you fall in love more and more with His heart, His plans, His mind, His creation. Listen to Him when He speaks through His word and etc, talk to Him through prayer, and get to know Him.

And then, when someone asks you if you are in a relationship, if you are prepared for something like that, you can say with all your heart, I've been in love for sometime, now. With the most amazing Man in all of the Creation.